Marin et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,769 describes a method and apparatus for endoluminally deploying a graft across an aortic aneurysm and associated common iliac aneurysms. In that patent, separate grafts are advanced through a patient's femoral and iliac arteries and aligned in a common region in the aorta above the aneurysm. Cephalic stents are deployed in that region to effectively create a bifurcated graft with the individual legs of the graft extending into the patient's arteries. Suitable stents are likewise deployed in these legs caudal of the aneurysm, thus isolating the aneurysm. See also Palmaz et al. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,316,023 and 5,571,170.
Marin et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,769, which issued Apr. 16, 1996, Palmaz et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,316,023, which issued May 31, 1994, and Palmaz et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,571,170, which issued Nov. 5, 1996, in their entireties are hereby incorporated by reference.
One problem that must be contended with when deploying separate grafts for alignment in a common region of a patient's vasculature is ensuring that a pathological defect has been effectively isolated because failure to do so may result in complications to the patient. There exists a need in the art for an apparatus and method for bypassing and effectively isolating a pathological defect, such as an abdominal aortic aneurysm, and an object of the invention is to satisfy that need and provide other advantages as set forth in the following description.